Gracia Lifts Duke to Extra-Inning Victory Over Virginia Tech

Friday, April 25

Durham, N.C.

6 p.m.

Duke University

29-14, 13-9

Virginia Tech

26-16, 10-12

Virginia Tech

Duke

Gracia Lifts Duke to Extra-Inning Victory Over Virginia Tech

4/25/2025 11:22:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)

DURHAM, N.C. – Sophomore AJ Gracia lifted a first-pitch fastball to center field for his fifth home run of the season, lifting Duke (29-14, 13-9 ACC) over Virginia Tech (26-16, 10-12 ACC) 6-3 in 11 innings. It marks the third walk-off victory for the Blue Devils in April, improving to 10-4 in the month.

Junior left-hander Owen Proksch dominated on the mound for the third consecutive weekend, working a new career-high 6.2 innings and punching out 10 batters. He did not factor into the decision on Friday.

In the bottom of the second inning, Duke opened the scoring as Ben Rounds hit a solo home run to right field. Jake Berger added to the lead with a single to right field to score Macon Winslow, 2-0. The Hokies scratched across a run in the top of the third inning, before Proksch escaped the jam, 2-1.

Ben Miller added to his league-leading home run tally, crushing a solo home run to center field to extend the lead. His 17th home run on the season is tied for seventh all-time in a single season and moves the Durham, N.C., native to seventh in a career with 32.

Virginia Tech tied the ballgame in the top of the seventh inning, as both sides were able to escape trouble in the final two frames to send the game to extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Winslow nearly ended the game, crushing a double that was brought back into the ballpark by the Hokies, before Virginia Tech walked Wallace Clark to put runners on the corners.

Gracia crushed the first pitch to center field to open the series with a walk-off victory. Graduate Reid Easterly worked the final 4.1 innings on the mound, punching out four batters and allowing three hits. Easterly improved to 7-1 on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning, as Ben Rounds hit a solo home run to right field. Jake Berger singled to right field to score Macon Winslow from third, 2-0.
Virginia Tech cut the lead in half in the top of the third inning, 2-1.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Ben Miller hit a solo home run to center field, 3-1.
The Hokies tied the ballgame in the top of the seventh inning, 3-3.
In the bottom of the 11th inning, AJ Gracia hit a three-run home run to center field, 6-3.

NOTES

Graduate Ben Miller finished the day 2-for-4 with his 17th home run of the season. That tally extends his lead in the ACC and ties him for seventh most in a single season at Duke. He joins Logan Bravo (2024), Alex Stone (2023), and MJ Metz (2023). The Durham, N.C., native has now tallied 32 home runs in a Blue Devils' uniform, moving him past Griffin Conine (2016-18) for seventh all-time.
Duke improved to 215-70 (.754) and 238-52 (.821) when scoring three-plus runs in an inning since 2016.
A week removed from a career performance on the mound against Pittsburgh, Owen Proksch produced an even better start against the Hokies. The southpaw tossed a career-high 6.2 innings, allowing three runs on two hits, and punched out a career-best 10 batters. The Blue Devils have now won their last three starts on the mound in league play.
Sophomore AJ Gracia continued to stay hot at the plate, collecting a two-hit day, including his fifth home run of the season. His blast in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted Duke to its third walk-off victory in April.
Graduate Reid Easterly improved to 7-1 on the season, working the final 4.1 innings on the mound. The southpaw allowed three hits, striking out four batters as the Blue Devils combined to record 14 punchouts against the Hokies.

QUOTES

"I think the conversation starts with Owen Proksch and the job that he did. We pitched unbelievable tonight. Owen was lights out, and then the job that Reid Easterly did to come in and take it from there was impressive. We recorded 14 strikeouts to two walks against a really good offense, and we were tough. We made a mistake there on the bases and ran through a stop sign when we probably could have won in the ninth, but we didn't give in and made some really good plays defensively to keep the scoreboard clean." – Head coach Chris Pollard on his overall thoughts on Friday and the toughness from the guys.
"He pitched his tail off. It was one swing. We felt like he did a great job with Lewis to that point and felt like he deserved that opportunity to get himself off the field right there. I had already radioed down to Reid in the bullpen to tell them it was his last batter either way, and its baseball. He left a changeup up, and he didn't miss it. That didn't in any way take away from the outing by Owen." – On Proksch's career day on the mound for the second consecutive weekend.